"Funny" problem - switching from an old keyboard

[ggpianogg]

Hey guys,

Up until now I've been playing on an old Yamaha keyboard which had no weighted keys whatsover (you could make a sound by barely touching a key). 3 days ago I finally got a better piano, Yamaha CLP 340, which has really good weighted keys, very closely resembeling in action those of a regular upright.

Now here is my problem. I'm having trouble playing the pieces that I used to play on my old keyboard, mostly because of the new "weight" of the keys, which seem to require a lot more strain and 'strength' to get out a clear and authoritative sound. I mostly play pieces around the 6th Grade (ABRSM) in terms of the level of difficulty. I guess those pieces are simply too hard on my 'fresh' fingers given that I've been used to the cheap feather-light keys of my old keyboard.

I admit that righ now my fingers tend to get a bit sore even after 5-10 minutes of uninterrupted playing. What do you suggest in this situation? SHould I, for the time being, switch to much simpler pieces? Should I continue playing my pieces but do them much slower, trying to get every sound out as clearly as possible?

I don't have a teacher yet (funds), I will get one though in about two weeks. So until then I have to manage. Thanks in advance for any help.

[rmbarbosa]

I think you could do some exercises like scales and harps in your new piano, in order that you may feel the new "touch" of the keys. In one or two days, you`ll dont feel any kind of problem, you`ll see. And you`ll like more the new keyboard than the older.
Best wishes
Rui

[lostinidlewonder]

The only answer is time, give yourself time to readjust your technique. I would suggest you start playing closer to your original method (at least the soft touch side of things), do not aim to acquire the even sound you produce from your older keyboard or force your fingers to press down the notes this will deplete your endurance too fast and your hand does not learn much when it is stressed out.

Play normally and if your touch is too light on the weighted keys that is ok, if some notes sound too soft or barely played this is fine, the more you practice in this realm the small changes you will make eventually as your fingers become more accustomed to the heaver action will improve your ability to deal with a heavier action. Focus playing parts which cause most tension in your hand and question why it is sapping your energy. The technique compass for you is your old keyboard you practiced on, the effortlessness and ease of playing you felt from that needs to be transfered to the weighted keys.

Playing on an unweighted piano allow us to play with technical inefficiencies which are not punished. Isolated finger movements for instance are not punished enough on unweighted keys, if you catch yourself doing too much of this on a real piano you start tiring out quite fast so keep an eye out for this. When you start to feel tired you have to stop and recover, once the tired burn disappears then start again. When your body starts to tired out and get that burning sensation this is a natural defense mechanism for the body. Our body is preventing us damage during extreme exertion by slowing the key systems needed to maintain muscle contraction, with improvements to your technique you will be able to relax the muscles more and more. We should certainly not push too far with the hands/arms. Sometimes practice with one hand while you rest the other. Push through that burning now and then since you have to develop your physical structure to play a real piano since you are existed in a physically stress free zone for so long.

On a real piano inefficiencies are punished by tiring the hand, of course no matter how good your technique is you will always have some form of energy sapping while playing but we can stay within a certain zone which still allows us to maintain relaxation and flexibility. When you are tired out in a bad zone you feel unrelaxed and inflexible (fingering, notes and expression cannot bend to your will and merely struggle to produce the notes themselves), you tend to struggle to produce your desired sound because the physical aspect of playing is becoming more and more to the front of our attention.

I personally sometimes practice on one digital piano at my home which is touch sensitive but extremely light to play. This allows me to practice fingering and notes and have almost zero effort to produce it since the notes are so easy to sound. So a keyboard with extremely light action can be useful when you want to practice simply notes and fingering (but this is not advised for developing pianists since learning how to play a real piano while practicing is a very important part of their learning.)

[ggpianogg]

Thanks for the posts guys, very helpful advice.

[dss62467]

You'll get used to it.  I used to have the same problem when I'd go play on my teacher's Baldwin grand, after playing on my Story & Clark upright from 1947.   In fact, I'll bet that by the time you read this post, you're already used to it.

Oh how I wish I could get myself a new baby grand.... alas... I must side my house...

[csharp_minor]

That exact same thing happened to me! I had been playing on a Casio keyboard at first, then within a few days playing on my Clp 370, my hands begun to ache.

For me, the sight pain vanished within a week, to reduce the pain though, I soaked my hands in warm water before playing, it seems to relax the hand so you are less stiff when playing.

I wouldn’t worry too much about it, unless the pain is very bad for you.
  

[oxy60]

Do you notice any difference between the upper octaves and the lower in the weighting on your Yamaha CLP 340? Does the upper octaves or the lower octaves sound louder using the same pressure? Are you only using the built-in amplifier and speakers?

Thanks!

[ggpianogg]

Hi Oxy60,

If I understood your question correctly - the higher octaves are definitely much lighter than the higher ones, ie. the higher you go up the keyboard, the ligher the keyboard action becomes.

[oxy60]

On my Yamaha the opposite is true. Less resistance as you go lower and more as you go higher. Does anyone else have similar experiences? Has anyone done any experimenting?

[nystul]

On my Yamaha the opposite is true. Less resistance as you go lower and more as you go higher. Does anyone else have similar experiences? Has anyone done any experimenting?

If your keyboard is really weighted heavier on the right side, it may be one of a kind!  You could try stacking some coins on a key in the lower octaves until the key dips half way or all the way, and then do the same in the top octaves and see if more coins are required.

Bass notes will produce a more powerful sound than the highest notes, but that's another story.